Schooners dominated the Chesapeake Bay in the late 1800s and early 1900s as a primary mode of transportation for goods from our river ports here in the Northern Neck. The design of the schooner, with its fore and aft sails, shallow draft, and relatively small crew needed made for an ideal working vessel in our rivers and creeks. Kinsale, as one of the major ports in the Northern Neck at the time, saw many schooners come and go.

This weekend a schooner will be in the harbor once again – the Huron Jewel, a 78ft beauty built by its owners in Michigan, is docking for the weekend and offering free tours on Saturday and Sunday, as well as a presentation and reception on Saturday beginning at 4PM. Stop by the Slips Marina in Kinsale to hear this schooner’s story and more about the ones that used to frequent here.